St Bernard’s Outworked After Promising Opening Quarter
In a tough Round 3 encounter, St Bernard's were overrun by a strong St Kevin's team, going down 16.17 (113) to 7.6 (48) at TH King Oval.
Despite the final margin, the opening term suggested the contest would be far tighter than the scoreboard eventually showed. Both sides brought strong intensity early, applying pressure and moving the ball with purpose. St Bernard’s made the most of their opportunities, capitalising on forward entries and looking dangerous early. The highlight of the quarter came from Nick Conlan, who sparked the match with a superb goal from beyond the arc, setting the tone and showing intent from the outset. His work rate remained consistent throughout the day, continually presenting as an option and competing hard.
At quarter time, St Bernards had the slight lead of just two points which was an accurate reflection on just how even the contest was. However, the game began to shift in the second term as St Kevin’s lifted their output around the contest and started to gain control through territory and possession.
Across the match, St Kevin’s ability to win the ball in tight and control stoppages proved decisive. While St Bernard’s were competitive in general pressure acts, the efficiency and quality of St Kevin’s ball use began to expose gaps. The second and third quarters proved costly for St Bernard’s, as St Kevin’s piled on 8 goals to Bernard's 1, opening up a decisive lead. Their forward pressure and ability to lock the ball in their attacking half were evident and made it difficult for St Bernard’s to exit defence cleanly, despite their willingness to compete.
For St Bernard’s, Harrison Schumann was consistent again, running out the whole game and continuing his impressive 2026 campaign. Harrison Fuller in the backline remained integral with his ability to get a fist to the ball as much as possible. Another positive of the day was Finn Shannon, who returned to the senior side for the first time this season and collected 32 disposals. However, it was Luke Said who was the standout performer for St Bernard’s and widely regarded as best on ground for his side, consistently winning the ball and providing drive. Through the midfield, he ran hard all day and battled to provide transition, even as the game began to slip away.
Similar to the Round 1 clash with Old Brighton, as the game wore on, fatigue began to take its toll. With limited rotations and players spending extended time on the interchange, St Bernard’s legs visibly tired, allowing St Kevin’s to capitalise late and extend the margin. The home side’s ability to maintain intensity across four quarters ultimately proved the difference.
While the result was disappointing, particularly after such an encouraging Round 2 performance and start to the game, there were still some clear positives in the early contest and individual performances. If St Bernard’s can sustain that first-quarter intensity for longer periods and improve their ability to win the ball at ground level, they will be better placed to challenge strong opposition in the weeks ahead.
SCORES:
ST KEVINS: 4.1 25 6.9 45 12.12 84 16.17 113
ST BERNARDS: 4.3 27 4.3 27 5.5 35 7.6 48
BEST:
St Kevins: Noah Walsh, Doug Kerr, Angus Hart, William Coates, Cam Hodges, Sam Tucker
St Bernards: Luke Said, Mitchell Hughes, Nick Conlan, Matthew Watson, Harrison Fuller, Harrison Schumann
GOALS:
St Kevins: D. Kerr 4, B.Bryan 2, S. Tucker 2, N. Walsh 2, J.Ball, M. Canning, J. Koschitzke, B.Mansfield, W. Pfeiffer, A. Richards,
St Bernards: N.Conlan 2, L. Di Lizio 2, D. Restuccia , B.Sauro , M.Watson
Written by Hannah Juricskay